Burned Iraqi boy arrives in US for treatment, mother calls it heaven

My older posts on this subject:
Angels of mercy in America
The horrors of Iraq

Youssif arrived in America Tuesday, 9/11, to begin treatment for burns he suffered in his home country of Iraq at the hands of adult, masked Islamic 'heroes'.

I'll let the CNN quote from the mother speak for itself:

For a family whose lives were tortured by the random and brutal violence of Iraq, the sheer magnitude of stepping onto American soil was surreal. His parents were rendered speechless. Quite simply they grinned from ear to ear. They didn't need to speak. The joy on their faces was palpable.

They had traveled more than 7,500 miles to get help for their son, from war-torn central Baghdad to coastal Los Angeles. It marked the first time the family had ever left their homeland, let alone ride on a plane.

"Oh my God, it's so green. Am I in heaven?" Youssif's mother, Zainab, said after arriving in Chicago before the family flew on to Los Angeles where Youssif will be treated. "I feel like I'm in a dream," said his father, whom CNN has agreed not to name. "Someone needs to pinch me."

It's important to point out that the family asked that their full names not be given out because they still fear retribution when and if they ever go back home.

Here's a quote from the same CNN article that illustrates the stark contrast between Baghdad and Chicago:

"You see America on television, but you never imagine or dream that you will ever be here." He paused, tears in his eyes.

"It's more than paradise."

Yes, America is a paradise. As imperfect as it may be to us, when compared to too many other parts of the world it's as close to Earthly paradise as you're going to find (even in Chicago). We Americans so seldom stop and appreciate what we have, let alone give thanks for what we take so much for granted. And defend what we have? Perish the thought we'd get our hands dirty doing something like defending America.

The Youssif family's response underlines another harsh reality. The Islamists who are part of the jihad against America and her interests claim they want to establish their own vision of heaven on Earth. Whatever their intentions, their acts have instead created hell on Earth. It's not just Youssif who has been horribly touched, but the daily deaths (some days reaching into the hundreds) of innocent civilians in Iraq who die from a steady barrage of car bombings and other acts of brutal terror. All in the name of a small twisted group's version of Islam.

True evil is loose in the world, cloaked in a false interpretation of a religion and its false interpretation of God. Do we have what it takes to recognize it, face it, and defeat it? Can Youssif and others like him wake us up to our responsibilities to contain, and eventually eradicate this evil? Or are we going to grow ever more decadent consuming the fruits of this American paradise until the evil overwhelms and destroys us?